The present invention relates to an inlet tube for interconnecting a carburetor and an intake pipe socket of an internal combustion engine, especially in a motor saw, wherein the inlet tube is made of a flexible material and provided with a bellows for allowing relative movement between the carburetor and the engine The invention further relates to such an inlet tube having a telescopically slidable tube piece provided radially inside the bellows, wherein the tube piece has an outer sealing surface cooperating with a complementary, surrounding sealing surface in order to screen off the bellows from the interior of the inlet tube.
In motor saws, in order to prevent transmission of vibrations from the engine to the carburetor, flexible inlet tubes are used. The inlet tubes are preferably made of rubber and are provided with some kind of bellows arrangement in order to allow sufficient relative movements. In addition to the vibration insolation, such an inlet tube also provides a favorable thermal insulation. The disadvantage is, however, that liquid fuel tends to accumulate in the bellows when the engine is running at idling speed. Under certain operational conditions such liquid fuel may be sucked into the the engine and result in disturbance or interruption of the operation.